Chapter 40
“Madam!”
As Grand Madam Quillian clutched the back of her neck, a startled Rhonda hurriedly supported her to sit on the sofa.
Leaning on the sofa, Grand Madam Quillian exhaled roughly, trying to cool the boiling heat that threatened to burst her head.
“Grand Madam… You’ll collapse at this rate. Please drink some water first.”
After gulping down cold water, Grand Madam Quillian slammed the cup down on the table as if to shatter it.
The stiffness in her neck from explosive anger had subsided a bit, but her fury hadn’t completely abated.
“That snake-like bastard, he deliberately went to the Imperial Palace without my knowledge! And to think we stupidly missed it!! I told you to keep a close eye on the Duke and the butler!! If the Duke meets His Majesty… The news that the Duke has awakened will spread throughout the land!!! Aagh! This is all because of you!”
If only that stupid girl had known in advance that the Duke was leaving.
No, if she had just woken her up before the Duke’s carriage departed!
In truth, even if she had known beforehand, Grand Madam Quillian didn’t have the power to stop the Duke, but that’s why she needed someone to vent her anger on.
It was all that stupid Maris’s fault.
As Grand Madam Quillian glared at Maris as if to tear her apart, Rhonda, who had been quietly thinking, spoke in a low voice, her purple eyes flashing.
“Madam.”
“Why are you calling me!”
Despite Grand Madam Quillian’s irritable response, Rhonda spoke calmly.
“Madam, what will change by killing Maris now? The Duke has already gone to the Imperial Palace, and soon the news that he has awakened will spread throughout the capital.”
At Rhonda’s words, Grand Madam Quillian’s nostrils flared again.
“Who doesn’t know that?! Isn’t that why I’m so angry right now! If it becomes known that Kylus is well, I won’t be able to hold onto real power anymore!”
To think he would move this quickly.
Helkin, that bastard, had definitely said that Kylus’s body wasn’t fully healed.
That even though he had miraculously awakened from the deadly poison, he wouldn’t be able to live normally right away.
Yet in less than a week, he was heading to the Imperial Palace.
His demeanor had seemed ominous since yesterday when he threw out the Fordley family.
As Grand Madam Quillian chewed her lip in agitation, Rhonda spoke softly.
“Madam, that’s why we can’t hesitate any longer. Since we can’t buy more time, you must make a decision.”
“Even if I want to, I can’t figure out what to do right now. Even Alice isn’t moving… I was told she was a stupid girl who would do anything her parents said. To think she wouldn’t budge even when I called the Fordley Count…”
No matter how she thought about it, it seemed she had been deceived by that pig of a Fordley Count.
Alice, that little thing, had been backstabbing her with an innocent face.
She would never reach out to Alice again, last useful card or not.
Grand Madam Quillian ground her molars as she thought of Alice.
Just then, Rhonda’s voice tickled Grand Madam Quillian’s ear.
“Madam, have you forgotten? The Duke’s body hasn’t fully recovered yet.”
“…What?”
Grand Madam Quillian turned her head to Rhonda as if enchanted.
“We still have Helkin, don’t we? I believe he left the Duke’s castle in a hurry today, saying he needed to send money to his family. As long as you hold Helkin’s weakness, he can never disobey your orders.”
Helkin’s weakness.
That’s right. She knew Helkin’s fatal weakness.
It was his wife and sick daughter, living in hiding under false identities, framed for the murder of a noble.
She had promised to clear his wife’s name if Helkin helped her kill Kylus completely.
With his family’s lives at stake, he could never betray her.
“Helkin…”
Grand Madam Quillian’s eyes flashed as she murmured the name lowly.
As Rhonda said, they still had Helkin.
The Duke, whose body wasn’t fully recovered, and the physician Helkin…
They had to move before the Duke brought in a new physician!
“You’re right. There’s no need to delay. We must prepare the final banquet right away.”
A vile smile finally bloomed on Grand Madam Quillian’s face as she looked at Rhonda.
* * *
Crash-
Thud- Thud!
Alice, who was eating dessert specially prepared by the chef after lunch, paused her fork at the sudden loud noise.
The sound was coming from outside the door.
The exact location would be Grand Madam Quillian’s bedroom, not far from her room.
Alice exhaled a short “Hmm” at the merciless sound and put down her fork.
In fact, Grand Madam Quillian’s bedroom had been quite noisy last evening as well.
But yesterday was understandable.
It was the day Grand Madam Quillian’s pride had been completely crushed.
Grand Madam Quillian probably thought she would come begging.
The original Alice had been a timid person who feared even a single word from her father and brother.
But unfortunately, she had no intention of lowering herself to Grand Madam Quillian, who was being treated like a rotten rope.
So of course, she didn’t go to see Grand Madam Quillian and went straight to bed after returning from the reception room.
And she had completely forgotten about Grand Madam Quillian, lost in other thoughts.
Those thoughts were… Kylus’s hand kiss.
Alice squeezed her eyes shut as the vivid memory of yesterday made the back of her hand feel hot.
No, stop.
“Young Madam, does your eye hurt?”
“No, it’s nothing.”
Alice shook her head at Aileen’s concern and opened her eyes.
Anyway, back to Grand Madam Quillian, she must have been furious to the tips of her hair yesterday.
As if that wasn’t enough, Alice was living comfortably as if to show off.
With that fiery temper, how could she stay still?
She must have needed to throw and break something.
But… it’s too noisy.
Crash-!
At that moment, another loud noise rang out.
It was surprising that there were still things left to throw, and Alice furrowed her brow at the loud noise.
Was yesterday not enough?
At this rate, she’ll break down the bedroom walls.
As Alice was wondering how long this noise would continue today, Aileen muttered softly.
“They said there would be a commotion because of the Duke, and it’s true…”
“What?”
Alice, who had heard the quiet mutter clearly, raised her head.
“Ah, this morning, His Grace the Duke went to the Imperial Palace. I overheard the servants talking about it. They said there would be a commotion on the Grand Madam’s side because the Duke went to the palace, and soon the Grand Madam would be driven…”
Before Aileen could finish, Alice’s eyes widened.
“He went to the Imperial Palace?”
Aileen, startled by Alice’s reaction, nodded cautiously.
“Yes, yes. He left for the Imperial Palace early in the morning.”
“The Imperial Palace means…”
He must have gone to meet the Emperor.
He wouldn’t have gone to meet the Emperor out of boredom, so Kylus must be officially moving to regain control of the duchy.
Grand Madam Quillian must have realized this intention, which is why she’s causing a scene.
I thought something was off when he appeared yesterday in a proper suit looking perfectly fine. He’s moving much faster than expected.
At this rate, will Kylus really regain control of the duchy within two weeks?
Kylus’s actions, not paying any attention to Grand Madam Quillian’s mood, were relentless.
In contrast, Grand Madam Quillian was just screaming in anger.
No, shouldn’t she at least try to stop him once?
Alice was getting anxious just watching Kylus’s aggressive moves.
Could Prion handle Kylus, who had completely taken over the Dearrut duchy?
The book didn’t detail exactly how powerful the Dearrut duchy was, but there were several mentions praising Kylus as a war hero even after his death.
With lines like, ‘If only Duke Dearrut were still alive…’
“The servants said that since His Grace went to have an audience with His Majesty the Emperor, it’s only a matter of time before he regains control.”
“…I see.”
“Then the Young Madam’s life will become much easier. The Grand Madam won’t be able to do as she pleases anymore.”
Aileen spoke proudly as if it were a relief, but Alice’s smile was nothing but bitter.
The Dearrut duchy wasn’t safe just because Grand Madam Quillian was dealt with.
“Since even His Majesty the Emperor found the Duke difficult to handle, I suppose the Dearrut duchy will become even more powerful from now on?”
Aileen smiled brightly as if proud.
“…Even the Emperor found the Duke difficult?”
“Yes. I heard the servants talking, and they said that before the Duke collapsed, even His Majesty couldn’t easily deal with him.”
“Is that so…?”
This was a story that didn’t appear in the book.
It was more like… a detailed account of Kylus’s position.
If he had such overwhelming power that even the Emperor found him difficult to handle… couldn’t Kylus deal with not only Grand Madam Quillian but also the final villain now that he’s awoken?
A hopeful thought flashed through Alice’s mind for a moment.
Then she wouldn’t have to become a priestess right away…
After all the villains were dealt with, she could live even more freely than a priestess in a peaceful world.
As Alice’s golden eyes shone with new hope, questions were thrown into her mind.
But what about the events that would unfold until that peace arrived?
What if Kylus doesn’t even suspect the final villain?
The final villain in the original work was a perfect sociopath with no equal, thoroughly hiding their true nature.
The final villain was behind all the incidents, to the extent that even Grand Madam Quillian poisoning Kylus was likely connected to them.
But even the original protagonists didn’t discover the final villain’s identity until the very end.
Moreover, too many people died before their identity was fully revealed.
There was no guarantee that Kylus would survive in those dangerous events.
He wasn’t the protagonist of the original story, after all.
If something were to happen to him… naturally, she wouldn’t be safe either.
She might even die before him.
After all, staying holed up in the temple until all the events of the original story are resolved is the safest option.
Alice nodded her head, exhaling a grave breath.
But Kylus meeting the Emperor…
Should she run away right now?
